The invention relates to musical instruments of the drum or percussion type.
Drums have been around since ancient times and have been used for many different purposes, including communication, religious ceremony and music. As a musical instrument, the basic use of drums has not changed; they are generally used to create rhythm with sound made by striking a playing surface with a hand or with some other implement in various time intervals. The basic structure of drums also has not changed over their long history; they are generally constructed of a single playing surface, traditionally made of an animal skin, attached to a single resonant chamber. A single drum with this basic structure generally produces one tone or a narrow range of tones, depending on how and where a player strikes the single playing surface. Despite the limited number of tonal options that such a drum produces, it still has a great deal of creative potential. A skilled player using a single drum made with this basic structure can create a variety of rhythms.
A number of options have been developed to increase the variety of rhythms available to a player, and hence increase the creative potential of drums. One option is to attach a playing surface to a resonant chamber with a tensioning device that changes the tone of the drum, allowing for a wider range of tones. Another way is to provide a player with two or more drums. This is especially effective if the drums each have different tones. The tone of a drum can be altered by using a tensioning device, by changing the size and material of the playing surface, and by changing the size, shape and material of the resonant chamber. Still another way to increase the variety of rhythms available to a player is to include other types of playing surfaces that are not drums, such as cymbals, bells and chimes. In addition to adding more and different types of playing surfaces, a player can also increase the variety of rhythms available to him or her by arranging the drums in a way that provides convenient access to the playing surfaces. Since playing drums is generally a physical activity that involves coordinated body movement, the spatial relationship of the drums is an important aspect of what and how a player can play. Additionally, since playing drums is a physical activity, a player should be situated in a comfortable position while playing.